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Study cigarette smoke deposits on household items a massive health risk
Smoking not only endangers the health of those affected, but also affects people in the area. The smoke can also move into furniture and clothing. This third-hand smoke can negatively affect the tissues of the liver and brain, even if you are non-smoker. The exhaled smoke deposits, for example, in furniture, curtains, carpets, cars and clothing and can enter from there into the body. The deposited toxins may even change chemically over time to become even more toxic and harmful.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have analyzed the effects of Third Hand Smoke (THS) in their current research. The remnants of smoke deposited on furniture and objects can therefore damage the brain and liver. The doctors published a press release on the results of their study.
Smokers endanger the health of themselves and their fellow human beings. Toxins from the smoke are deposited on objects in our households. They stay there for months, burdening the health of residents and visitors. The toxins change chemically over time and become even more harmful. (Image: schankz / fotolia.com) How did the THS affect mice in experiments??
The exhaled smoke of cigarettes settles, for example, on the surface of all sorts of objects and furniture. Exposure to THS in mice results in type 2 diabetes, hyperactivity, liver and lung damage, and complications in wound healing. Through a new system, scientists mimicked human exposure to THS in smoker's homes. Only one month of exposure to THS already has a significant impact on health, which can damage the liver and brain, say the experts.
Exposure to THS toxins increased the concentration of stress hormones
As the damage to the liver reduces the body's ability to detoxify the body, it can also lead to further damage. The researchers also found that levels of stress hormones were still elevated one month after exposure. Increased levels of stress hormones were found two months, four months and even six months after exposure, the researchers report. Previous studies by the team had already determined that THS-exposed mice are less social. In addition, the mice became addicted to THS over time.
Negative effects of long-term THS exposure
Our goal was to determine the minimum time required to cause physiological changes in mice when exposed to THS, explains author Manuela Martins-Green. "We found that THS exposure causes liver damage at one month, THS exposure causes further molecular damage for two months, and even more damage after four to six months," the expert adds. In addition, the mice were found to have insulin resistance after long term THS exposure.
Smokers' cars, houses and hotel rooms are probably contaminated by THS
THS contamination can be absorbed through the skin and respiration. Although research was not conducted on humans, we should be aware that smokers' hotel rooms, cars and homes are likely contaminated by THS, explains Professor Martins-Green.
THS toxins are resistant to detergents
Most people are unaware that they are exposed to THS, or they do not believe in the damage that THS exposure can cause, the University of California physicians explain. The THS toxins are invisible, but can be smelled and they remain on surfaces for many years, as they are resistant to even strong detergents, the researchers report.
Children are particularly prone to receiving THS
Because THS is absorbed through the skin, children are particularly vulnerable because they are in close contact with household surfaces. The children often absorb the toxins by putting their hands in their mouths. In addition, the children can also absorb the harmful toxins through the skin. When children live in households with smokers, tobacco metabolites can be found in their urine. In addition, tobacco-derived carcinogens, also referred to as tobacco-specific nitrosamines, have been identified, the experts explain.
The population must be protected from THS
Exposure to tobacco smoke deposited on surfaces in houses and in house dust is a completely new form of toxicity. The fact that harmful chemicals from tobacco smoke settle and then change their chemistry over time to become even more toxic and carcinogenic is of major importance to the health of the population, and especially the health of children, the researchers explain. The results of the study show that people who continue to smoke in homes, thereby endangering the health of other people severely. It is urgent to develop methods or products that can be used to remove THS toxins, the doctors add. (As)